This is the colourful art of decorating the ground with flowers.
The story goes that Shri Krishna, in order to please Radha, decorated
the floor with flowers one evening, and thereafter this art was
known as Sanjhee.
According to the Bhagwat Purana, Shri Krishna along with the gopis
had danced the Raas on the banks of the Yamuna at Vrindavan. When
the gopis felt conceited about Lord Krishna dancing with them,
he disappeared from their midst. In the agony of separation from
their beloved Krishna, the gopis recalled and enacted his lilas
(divine episodes of his life) which in course of time came to
be known as the Raaslilas. The Raaslila in its present form is
ascribed to Swami Haridas and Shri Narayan Bhatt. Only young Brahmin
boys of 13 to 14 years of age can perform the Raaslila. The charming
childhood pranks of Shri Krishna constitute the main them of these
dramas.
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This is a traditional folk dance of
Braj, where a female dancer balances a column of lighted deepikas
over her head while dancing. The charkula, a tapered wooden column
with four to five circular tiers has earthen lamps on each level.
The number of lamps can range from 51 to 108 at times. The dancer
with her face veiled, moves with swift, graceful movements while
balancing the 40 to 50 kilogram charkula on her head. A dramatic
dance that is visually attractive, it is performed on the Dooj of
Holi, to the accompaniment of Rasiya songs rendered by the menfolk.
This is the rich tradition of folk-songs that is found in the Braj
area. Rasiya songs describe the love of the divine couple Radha
and Shri Krishna. It is an inseparable part of the Holi celebrations
and all other festive occasions at Braj. The Rasiya is sung to the
rhythm of huge drums, locally known as bumb.
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